Land and Forest in the Eastern Himalayas: A
Critique on Agriculture and Agroforestry in Arunachal Pradesh

Maitreyee Choudhury

I

Location of Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh
is one of the ‘Seven Sister States’ in North East India. It is the easternmost
state in India and borders three neighbouring countries. China in north, Myanmar
in east and Bhutan in west. The Indian states of Assam and Nagaland border the
state in the south and south east. The total geographical area of Arunachal
Pradesh measures to 83,743 sq. km. The state covers a substantial portion of the
Eastern Himalayas and is a part of the Eastern Himalayan Agro-climatic zone II
along with Sikkim and Darjeeling. However, the three easternmost districts (Lohit,
Changlang and Tirap) are part of the Patkai range. Arunachal Pradesh was
administered as the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) until 1972 when it became
the Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh. It was given full statehood on 20th
February 1987.

Physiography

Arunachal Pradesh
covers the easternmost part of the Himalayas, a portion of the Purvanchal Hills
and some parts of the Brahmaputra Plains. By virtue of the presence of the
Himalayas, it is obvious that the state has a mountainous terrain. Quite often
the state itself is designated as the Eastern Himalayas2 since
the Himalayas extend no further in the east beyond the state. The Himalayan peak
called Namcha Barwa, located at the head of the Himalaya’s eastern syntaxial
bend, marks the eastern end of the Himalayas. The highest mountain peak in the
region is the KangtoPeak (7090m) near the northern border in
West Kameng district. The elevation of
the mountains in the state ranges from 100m in the outer Siwaliks bordering
Assam plains to
above 7000m in the Greater Himalayas bordering the Tibetan plateau. Several
large rivers dissect the land into distinct segments, wide variation in climate
and vegetation. The state has five physiographic regions, namely: i) The Greater
Himalayan Ranges, ii) The Lesser Himalayan Ranges, iii) The Siwaliks, iv) The
Purvanchal Ranges and v) The Brahmaputra Plains.

Starting from the west to east, the major rivers that drain the
state are the Kameng, the Subansiri, the Siang, the Lohit, the Noa-dihing and
the Tirap. The Siang river, the mightiest of them all, brings the waters of
Tsangpo all the way from Tibet to India. After receiving the waters of Dibang
and Lohit, the Siang becomes the mighty Brahmaputra in the Assam plains. The
tall mountains, tortuous rivers, rugged terrain and formidable forests compose a
difficult physiography and keep the state somewhat isolated from the rest of the
country.

People

An inhospitable
terrain largely unfit for human habitation has kept the population figures of
the state consistently low. While the state shares 2.55% of the total
geographical area of the country, its share in population is only 0.09 per cent,
with a total population of 1,091,117 with the density of 13 persons per sq. km
(census2001). The population of Arunachal Pradesh is largely tribal who
constitute 65% of the total population. There are more than 100 tribal
communities in Arunachal Pradesh, of which 20 are collective tribes having close
affinities in language, culture and tradition. However, territorial isolation
and difficulty in communication from one enclave to other have created
distinctive tribal identities and great variations in language and social
formation.

The major
indigenous tribes in Arunachal Pradesh include the Adi, Nyishi, Apatani, Bugun,
Galo, Hrusso, Koro, Meyor, Monpa, Tagin, Mishmi, Tangshang, Nocte, Wanchoo,
Tutsa, Yobin, Singpho, Sherdukpen, Khamba and Memba1.
Each tribal group exhibits individuality in terms of language, social customs
and tradition. However, there are affinities in culture according to territorial
base along the major rivers and their tributaries that serve as the main and
sometimes only links of communication. There has been a roughly lateral pattern
of cultural affinity, having Tibetan influence in the northern belt, Burmese and
Assamese influence in the southern belt, and indigenous, in situ culture
in the central and eastern belt.

II

Land Ownership
Rights in Arunachal Pradesh

Land is a primary
resource for economy. In Arunachal Pradesh, only 5 per cent land is available
for cultivation, with more than 60 per cent of land under forest. While the
extent of forest is seen as the most valuable asset from the point of view of
environment and ecology, the same can be of little advantage as far as
agricultural development is concerned. Ownership of prime cultivable land and
forests is important for the hundred-odd tribes in Arunachal Pradesh. There is
no formal land tenure system in Arunachal Pradesh. The people exercise customary
rights on land for jhuming, hunting, fishing, etc. They tend to exercise
customary rights even in Unclassified State Forests (USF). There is no patta
system in Arunachal Pradesh. The only document the people receive from the state
government in regard to land ownership is the Land Possession Certificate (LPC).
LPC is issued by the Deputy Commissioner for land up to 5 ha. The Land Act of
Arunachal Pradesh has been passed only recently. The tribes of Arunachal Pradesh
are still governed by their own customary laws, and land ownership right varies
from tribe to tribe. While some tribes allow individual as well as family
ownership of land, others are in favour of clan ownership and still others
recognize their villages or the community as the sole owner of land rights.
Thus, on the basis of ownership rights, land in the state can be classified as
follows:

1. Land owned by an individual

2. Land owned by a family

3. Land owned by the clan

4. Land owned by a village

5. Land owned by the community

The state is very
sparsely populated and difficult terrain conditions have given rise to a kind of
social solidarity and a sense of security among the tribal people residing in
their own enclaves. The social solidarity of individual tribes necessitated
communal farming and collective ownership of land. The abundance of land under
forests prompted the tribes to adopt shifting cultivation Jhum. Almost all the
tribes except the Apatanis, Khamptis, Sherdukpens and to some extent the Monpas,
practice shifting cultivation. As a principle, the entire land owned by a tribe
belongs to the clan or the village. The area of a village is determined
according to traditional agreements with the neighbouring villages. The jhum
cultivators belonging to a particular tribe are not allowed to fell trees in
forested land beyond the jurisdiction of its own community. The practice of
shifting cultivation makes the tribes semi-nomadic and their villages
semi-permanent. Amongst the tribes of Arunachal, only the Apatanis are known to
be settled agriculturists in permanent villages. They have three distinct
categories of land ownership Viz: (a) The first category, i.e. individual
ownership land comprises practically all cultivable land, irrigated rice fields,
fields for dry crops, vegetable and fruit trees, groves of bamboos, pines and
other useful trees, as well as sites for houses and granaries. (b) Clan land
that consists of meadowland near the village used as pastures and burial grounds
and tract of forest, where only the members of the owner clan have the right to
hunt and trap. (c). Common village land, which is confined to one or two usually
not extensive stretches of pasture and to forest tracts on the periphery3.
It may be mentioned here that the previous NEFA government’s policy, which came
into force in 1947-48, provided absolute rights to the tribe over their jhum
land, under the Jhum Land Regulation Act, 1948.

Individual
ownership of land is usually found in permanently settled villages. When a
member of a particular clan puts in his efforts to make a piece of land
operational, and inhabits the area for a sufficiently long period, the ownership
right of the land passes to him and his descendents. The outsiders in a village
are not given land ownership right. A member from outside the clan may borrow
land from the village council and settle in the area, but he cannot pass it to
his descendents. The system of ownership of jhum plots varies from tribe to
tribe. Among the Adis of Siang region, a land cleared by a particular jhum
cultivator and the members of his family is customarily retained by him and his
family for successive returns to the same plot. However, a different system of
land ownership is followed by the Nyishis of Lower Subansiri and East Kameng
districts who also practice shifting cultivation. In this case, the individual,
who clears a patch of forest for jhum and cultivates the plot in the opening
year, may not return back to the same plot. Any other member from his clan or
community may take up the land for cultivation in the second phase. The Wanchos
of Tirap district enjoy a kind of non-transferable ownership right of jhum
plots. The Monpas practice both terrace cultivation and jhum cultivation. They
recognize individual ownership right as well as common village ownership right.
However, the forests and pastures are controlled by the village council called
Mong-pa. Allotment of land to the individuals in exchange of taxes is also done
by the village council. In some areas, share-cropping is also practiced, but
this is not a very common practice. Land reforms programme and land demarcation
programme are yet to be introduced in the state. The cadastral survey in the
state is still incomplete. The first set of cadastral maps of Along in West
Siang district have been published in 20054.
Other districts are yet to publish their cadastral maps.

Forest Ownership
Rights in Arunachal Pradesh

In absence of any
land tenure system in the state, for all practical purposes, the Unclassified
State Forests (USF) are treated as community forests and in certain cases, as
private forests, where the people exercise their traditional rights of fishing,
collection of fuel wood, small timbers, fodder, cultivation and ritual hunting
as well as collection of medicinal plants. The tribes of Arunachal Pradesh
exercise their customary right on forest areas for the purpose of protection as
well as production. From the perspective of function, the forests of Arunachal
Pradesh can be classified as:

a) Protected
forests, and

b) Production
forests.

Protection
Forests: Some
forest areas in Arunachal Pradesh are traditionally protected and preserved as
sacred groves. Such forests are closed to any human interference like jhuming or
hunting. All the major tribes in the state, namely the Adis, Nishyis, Apatanis
and Monpas customarily keep patches of pristine forests untouched and treat them
as sacred as spiritual lands and abodes of deities. The Monpas of Tawang
district believe that the jungle deity, Singye Lama resides in forest.
Some forests in the district are owned by the monasteries (Parmang or
private ownership of forest) and religious sanctions are there for felling of
trees. Elsewhere, some forested parts are left untouched from the belief that
they are the domains of evil spirits. For example, the Adis living in high
altitude areas leave some forests untouched because they believe that certain
trees (of ficus spp.) in those forests are abodes of evil spirits. In both
cases, the forests are spared of human interference deliberately and are treated
as protected forests.

Production Forests: The production forests are the areas
where shifting cultivation is practiced by the tribesmen. These forests are
considered as the village common land or the community forest areas, where the
local tribesmen also exercise their traditional rights to the forest produces.
There are common lands of clan ownership or community ownership for practicing
shifting cultivation. The production forests are demarcated by the natural
features, chiefly by the water divides or valleys. Usually the traditional
village council deals with the overall management issues of the production
lands, such as distribution of land among the villagers, opening of land for new
cultivation, community hunting, and exploitation of the forest produce on
commercial line and so on. The produce from the common forest tracts is shared
by every individual on the basis of respective needs. They have the absolute
right over the forest produce for meeting their domestic requirement of timber
or Cultivation/jhum. The other demand-based requirements like firewood, fodder,
etc. are also met from the common forest tracts.

From the legal perspective the forests of the state have been
classified as:

The ownership right of these forests is vested with the state and
has been legally notified. However, in case of Anchal Reserve forests, land is
given to the communities with the understanding that 50 per cent of forest
produce is to be utilized by the communities and rest should go to the
government. The Unclassified State Forests (USF) are yet to be properly surveyed
and demarcated. Unclassified State Forests are under the dual control of the
Revenue Department and Forest Department. The Revenue Department issues land
possession certificate (LPC), while the Forest Department deals the matters
related to transit

and trade of forest produces. These unclassified State Forests
are again claimed variously as private, clan or community forests and have
remained traditionally under the control of communities. The USF area is not
under the control of Forest Department because the land does not vest with the
state. In Arunachal Pradesh, there is no well-defined land revenue regulation
Act. In general, the forest areas are under collective ownership of the tribal
communities with exception of private ownership system such as the Parmang
of Monpas, or ownership rights reserved by the tribal chiefs of Noctes and
Wanchos. The distribution of forests according to their legal status in various
districts in Arunachal Pradesh is given in the following table:

PF – Private Forest

ARF – Anchal Reserved Forest

VRF – Village Reserved Forest

WLS – Wild Life Sanctuary

NP – National Park

USF – Unclassified State Forest

III

Agricultural
Practices in Arunachal Pradesh

According to the
state Department of Agriculture, the total area under agricultural operation in
the state is 3,43,719 ha (2005-06), while the net sown area is 2,03,600 ha,
which accounts for about 2.5% of the total geographical area of the state. Due
to diverse physiographic and agro-climatic factors the agricultural practices in
the state differ from other states in India.

The prevalent
agricultural practices in Arunachal Pradesh include both shifting cultivation (jhum)
and sedentary agriculture. Jhum cultivation is the predominant agricultural
practice in the state and is more widespread in the upland areas. Though the
socio-economic and cultural background of the communities practicing jhum
cultivation is far from homogenous, the system of cultivation is more or less
same everywhere. The method of cultivation is antiquated and there has hardly
been any change as far as traditional system of jhum landholding is concerned.
The crops cultivated in jhum lands include food grains, vegetables, root crops
and fruit species5.
Settled agriculture is mainly found in lowland river banks and in the Apatani
settlements in Ziro plateau. The latter is particularly well known for
integrated wet-rice cultivation and pisciculture. The number of operational
holdings under sedentary cultivation in the state is increasing, albeit at a
very slow pace. In some upland areas, the tribes are combining shifting
cultivation with settled terrace cultivation, which is again subject to water
availability. While wet-rice is cultivated in terraced fields, dry upland crops
like maize and millet are cultivated in jhum areas. Some upland tribes like the
Monpas and Sherdukpens are more in favour of terrace cultivation near permanent
villages while others are content with traditional jhuming and fallowing of
forest lands.

The
agro-ecosystems in Arunachal Pradesh include jhum, wet cultivation,
horticulture, plantations and home gardens. Of these the last three are of much
significance as far as agroforestry is concerned.

Brief description
of each of the above agro-ecosystems is given below:

The Jhum
Ecosystem

Jhum cultivation
is the most common and traditional livelihood of the people of Arunachal
Pradesh. The abundance of forested land has made the tribes compulsive jhum
cultivators. Jhum has become an integral part of the life and society of the
people in the state. Usually, after selecting a forest patch for jhum
cultivation, all tall trees are slashed. The stumps of trees are usually left on
the ground. The undergrowth is burnt for blanket cleaning as well as for keeping
the nutrients captivated in forest remnants in situ. Once the land is
cleared, the soil is lightly hoed and the seeds are dibbled in lined holes. All
these are done by manual labour with the help of indigenous tools. Use of animal
power and ploughs to till the land is unheard of. Since rain is rather copious
in the state, the crops do not need irrigation; neither the farmers have to do
much except occasional weeding till the crop matures. No external fertilizer is
used to enhance crop yield. The crops are harvested as and when they mature.
Harvested crops are stored in small granaries that are raised much above the
ground to keep the crops dry. The granaries are usually made of bamboo and mud
that stand on bamboo poles and are thatched by local palm leaves.

The Jhum cultivators, who are locally known as jhumias, are
supposed to be self sufficient as far as their food requirement is concerned.
They grow cereal crops, vegetables, root crops and fruits in separate patches
and sometimes, mixed with cereals. While the main crops cultivated are rice,
maize, and millets, the subsidiary crops include arum, ginger, chili, mustard,
vegetables and fruits such as orange, papaya, banana and pineapple. Some tribes
prefer to cultivate only food crops and annual vegetables and are not in favour
of planting fruit trees since those plants may not bear fruits during their stay
in a particular plot. But there are others who return to a plot repeatedly and
so plant fruit trees in the hope of future gain.

The jhum
ecosystem is based on a cycle of forest-agriculture-forest. The cycle may be
repeated two or more times in a single plot depending upon the pressure of
population. Traditionally the jhumias cultivate a plot for one to two years or
as long as they get sufficient yield, and leave the area in search of fresh plot
in another section of forest as and when they feel it necessary. Earlier, when
the number of jhumias was less, many of them never returned to a plot second
time. Secondary forests regenerated in those plots and the soil nutrients lost
due to human interference were restored by natural process. Even if the jhumias
returned to the same plot, it was not usually before a gap of ten years. By that
time, the trees were tall enough to give the area an appearance of forest and
the soil too was in better shape. The shifting communities used their
traditional knowledge of forest fallowing to take the advantage of repeat visit.
As in any other shifting agriculture system, “the jhum system is based upon
capitalizing upon the soil fertility build-up during the natural forest fallow
development, without any human inputs into its management”6.

However,
situation in a major part of the state forest is rather critical at present. The
pressure of increasing population is felt everywhere. Arunachal Pradesh is no
exception. The density of population in the state though still very low by
Indian standard (13 persons per sq. km. 2001), it has increased by 3 persons per
sq. km in the last decade. The number of people who depend on jhum cultivation
has also increased visibly. The jhumias con no longer afford to leave a gap of
ten or more years before they return to a previously cultivated plot. In many
places, the gap has come down to five years, and in some areas, the jhumias are
returning to a plot after a short fallowing for three years. The frequent visit
may provide food to the people who have no other options left, but it is causing
irreparable damage to the forest ecosystem. Over a major part of the lowland
districts in Arunachal Pradesh ranging from the East Kameng in the west to East
Siang in the east the forests are so degenerated due to years of jhuming that
large trees do not appear at all. The erstwhile forests are now replaced by
bushy undergrowth and grassy patches. very close due to over-exploitation of the
forests. The situation in places has become so alarming that shifting
cultivation in the state is now causing some sort of ‘tragedy of commons’, since
the users of common forests do not manage them adequately. However, most of the
traditional village councils have now accepted the court ruling on timber trade
and are trying to reconcile with the guidelines set by the state forestry and
horticulture departments.

Wet Cultivation

Wetland rice
agroecosystem though not as extensive as jhum ecosystem, is prevalent in
comparatively low altitude areas. Wet rice cultivation is a complementary system
to jhum and is practiced on, both man-made terraces and valley flats. The system
is restricted, but crop yields are far better in the system due to higher
fertility status of soil. Unlike jhum system, wet rice agroecosystem ensures
crop yield year after year from the same piece of land and encourages the
formation of permanent villages. It is centuries-old practice in the Ziro
plateau area of Lower Subansiri district and in the valleys of Dibang, Lohit and
Noa-Dihing rivers. The Apatani tribe of Lower Subansiri district has acquired
considerable expertise in wetland rice cultivation. Of late, the Chakma
expatriates settled in the floodplains of the Noa-Dihing river in Changlang
district have transformed the landscape by introducing wet rice cultivation on
river banks. The Nepali settlers in Arunachal Pradesh have introduced terraced
wet rice cultivation in comparatively high altitude areas. The Chakma and Nepali
settlers are efficient rice growers. The show higher efficiency in crop
production than the local tribes.

Like jhum, wet rice cultivation too requires collective effort to
maintain it. The Apatanis with their cooperative effort under the supervision of
village council have optimized the use of water as well as nutrients in their
rice land7.
Land management practices and water management system of the Apatanis are quite
scientific in nature. The terraces in the main valley are quite broad, perfectly
leveled and provided with strong bunds8. Usually
indigenous rice and finger millets are grown in these terraces. The latter are
grown on old terraces. To increase cropping intensity, vegetables, potato,
mustard, pea, etc are also cultivated in rice agroecosystem. Since 1970 power
tillers and tractors are being used for rice cultivation.

The Apatanis have skillfully integrated pisciculture with rice
cultivation. The rice-cum–fish culture was introduced in the plateau in 1965. In
the same year bullock power was also introduced in the rice fields. The
integrated rice-cum-fish cultivation system is gaining popularity in the region
because the system assures better return and higher income from unit arable land
than from rice cultivation alone. For composite fish culture the site is
selected on the basis of regular supply of irrigation water and fairly high
rainfall. In this system fishes are cultured for a period of 3 months and are
harvested thereafter by simply blocking the irrigation channel or lowering the
level of water. The standing crop of rice takes another 30-40 days to ripe. The
fish production from such fields varies from 150 kg -200 kg/ha while rice
production ranges from 1500 kg to 2500 kg/ha10.
Thus, wet rice ecosystem in some of the valleys and plateaus of the state
ensures steady supply of two staple diets of the region, namely rice and fish.

Horticulture,
Plantation and Home Gardens

The geographic,
macro and microclimatic variations between and within cropping zones, and
community landownership tradition in the state are conducive for horticultural
and plantation crops. The agro-climatic condition in the state is ideal for
fruits, nuts, medicinal and aromatic plants, mushrooms, spices and a large
variety of flowers. The Lemon, pineapple, apple, kiwi, walnut, mushroom and
various vegetables are natives of the state. Many of these native crops have now
become commercial crops fit to be raised in large orchards, plantations and home
gardens. The tribal communities in the state, particularly those inhabiting the
middle and high hills have a long tradition of integrating horticultural crops
in their indigenous farming system. Many cultivated crops, particularly spices
and fruits adapt naturally to the soil and climate prevalent in the state and
there is enormous scope for further crop improvement and hybridization. Oranges
of Wakro in Lohit district and kiwis of Dirang in West Kameng
provide ample proof of successful adaptation of crops on commercial line11.

Status of
Agriculture in Arunachal Pradesh

The state of
Arunachal Pradesh has a geographical area of 83,743 sq km, out of which only
3,43,719 ha is under agricultural operation (inclusive of both shifting
cultivation and settled agriculture). The net sown area is 2,03,600 ha, which
accounts for only 2.5 per cent of the total area of the state.

The
agro-climatic condition in the state is favourable for the production of both
summer and winter crops. Apart from cereal crops like wet rice, maize, millets
and wheat, the state also produces pulses, oilseeds, potato, ginger and
vegetables in substantial quantity. The table given below shows the crop
production level in the state during 2005-06.

Table 2
Crop Production Level in Arunachal Pradesh During 2005-06

Sl.No. Crops Area in
ha Production (MT)

1. Rice
122267 146191

2. Maize
41863 57898

3. Millets
22802 22376

4. Wheat
3976 6140

5. Pulses
7720 8285

6. Oil Seeds
27568 23695

7. Potato
3963 29838

8. Ginger
4814 33326

9. Vegetables
15992 57568

Source:
Department of Agriculture, Government of Arunachal Pradesh.

The state produces a number of commercial crops
like maize, oilseeds, potato, ginger and vegetables.

The strategies
adopted by the state towards agricultural development and achieving food
security are12:

All said and
done, it is a long way to achieve the targets mentioned above by implementing
strategies outlined by the experts. Meanwhile, the main task will be converting
jhum cultivators into settled farmers and transforming jhum fallows into
permanent fruit orchards by integrating agroforestry with shifting cultivation.

IV

Scope of
Agroforestry in Arunachal Pradesh

The concept of
agroforestry is rather new in the state. The local people are so overly
dependent on, and at times obsessed with shifting cultivation that they turn a
blind eye to recognize the need and importance of agroforestry. For quite some
time the state authorities are trying to wean away the farming communities from
the traditional practice of shifting cultivation, but with little success.
According to environment and agriculture scientists (of the North Eastern
Regional Institute of Science and Technology (NERIST), Itanagar, Indian Council
of Agricultural Research, North Eastern Hill Region (ICAR-NEHR, Shillong, G.B.
Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (GBPIHED), Itanagar and
Almora, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD),
etc.), agro-forestry can be a viable alternative to the age-old shifting
cultivation practices in the state.

Agroforestry has both ecological and economic components and to
qualify as agro-forestry there must be interaction between woody and non-woody
components, such as timber trees/crops and/or livestock (ICRAF). Since
agro-forestry has the potential to address many land use problems, many research
workers have developed and suggested various agro-forestry based land use
models. These include, there tier agri- silver- horti-pastoral model and sloping
Agricultural land technology (SALT). Both are directed at weaning the people
particularly forest-dwellers from the shifting cultivation.

Apart from the two models mentioned above, home garden is also
advocated as an alternative to jhum cultivation14.
Home gardens based on areca-nut, betel leaf, banana and black pepper are
practiced quite successfully in the neighbouhood of Arunachal Pradesh, namely,
in Karbi Anglong hills of Assam and Meghalaya hills. Home garden, if integrated
with pig and poultry rearing, can be a successful model of agroforestry in the
state. Considering the popularity and high market price of areca nut, betel leaf
and black pepper in the region and elsewhere, raising these crops in home
gardens can be remunerative. Apart from home garden and the two models of
agroforestry described above, experts have also suggested different combinations
like silvi-horticulture, silvi-pastoral, agri-horti-pastoral and multi-purpose
tree production systems to be developed in the state15.

Agroforestry
Practices in Arunachal Pradesh

Agroforestry in
the state has been initiated by the Departments of Agriculture and Horticulture.
It is mainly the Department of Horticulture which is promoting the practice of
agroforestry by way of fruit, spices and tea plantations, floriculture and home
gardens. The Department of Forest, though do not have separate units or projects
for agroforestry development, it has some contribution in this regard by
initiating and encouraging the cultivation of medicinal plants.

Agroforestry practices in Arunachal Pradesh are still at a
nascent stage. A preliminary survey on agroforestry practices in Arunachal
Pradesh has been done by the author in select districts of the state. Case
studies have been done in three districts located in the eastern, central and
western sectors at three different agroclimatic zones in the mid-hills, valleys
and high hills: namely, Lohit district in the eastern sector, Lower Subansiri
district in the central sector, and Tawang district in the western sector.
During field visit, it was observed that the district level agriculture offices
have identified areas and tree-crop combinations to be tried in project areas
under ‘Watershed Development Projects in Shifting Cultivation Areas as well as
Rain-fed Areas’ (NWDPRA/WDPSCA). In the district of Lohit in the eastern part of
the state, where jhum cultivation is widely practiced, five agroforestry
projects have been undertaken during Xth Plan and altogether 210 ha of jhum
fallows are brought under agroforestry. In the same period, area under jhum rice
cultivation in the district is 800 ha. It is expected that part of the
afore-mentioned jhum land will be brought under agroforestry project in the next
plan period.

Among the agroforestry projects in Lohit district, the orange
plantations in Wakro circle are most successful. During fieldwork it has been
observed that the Miju Mishmi community of Wakro has accepted and participated
in the project in right earnest.

The Lower
Subansiri district in the Central part of the state is well-known for wet rice
cultivation, particularly in Ziro plateau area. The Apatanis of the district,
though settled agriculturists, are well acquainted with agroforestry practices
and has a traditional way of classifying forests, agricultural land and settled
areas according to land use type and purpose.

Though Jhum
cultivation is not as widespread in Lower Subansiri as in its neighbouring
districts, agroforestry has already been introduced in the district to reclaim
deforested areas and 1020 ha of land has been brought under agroforestry during
the plan.

The Tawang
district is located in the extreme north-western part of the state. In this
district shifting cultivation is not the main reason behind the disappearance of
forests.The cold climate in the high hills generates great demand for firewood
and the local people are heavily dependant on forests for firewood. The district
was once a repository of ban oak forest, blue pine forest, mixed coniferous
forest, birch-fir forest and birch-rhododendron scrub forest. All the forests
are diminishing now and the ban oak forest is worst hit due to extraction of
firewood. Oak trees are most favoured as firewood and the species are
disappearing very rapidly. The junipers are also affected due to massive
collection of leaves and branches for burning during religious rituals in
monasteries and households. Taxus baccata is collected indiscriminately due to
their medicinal value. Regeneration of forests is adversely affected due to
frequent forest fire and heavy grazing by domestic cattle. Even the pasturelands
are under great pressure due to rise in the number of cattle and other
domesticated animals. Thus, a large part of the forests and grasslands in the
district have either disappeared or degenerated due to human interference.
Practice of agroforestry can come to the rescue of the distressed forests and at
the same time can fulfill local needs.

The land
utilization pattern in Tawang district (2006-07) shows that ans 280 has ont of
6653. ha area under cultivation has been brought under agro-forestry. Like the
Apatanis, the Monpa community of Tawang too believe in the concept of sacred
groves and protects pieces of forests as sacred areas.

The horticulture
experts in the state are promoting agroforestry in a big way. During the year
2007-08, the total area under horticultural crops in the state was 78,259 ha out
of which 61,743 ha was under fruit plantation and 16,516 ha was under spices
cultivation.

In an effort to integrate horticulture with floriculture and
cultivation of aromatic and medicinal plants, the state has adopted several
central and state sponsored schemes. Under the centrally sponsored Technology
Mission for Integrated Horticulture16,
12,356 ha of area has been brought under fruits, vegetables and floriculture.
Several schemes of Integrated Development of Community/Village Fruits Farm
Nursery have been taken up to grow fruit trees in Rai Balo (1200 ha), Pasighat
(200 ha) and Ambam (18.5 ha). Orange gardens have been established in Daporijo
(10 ha), and Seppa (10 ha) and new technology for cultivation of kiwi fruits has
been introduced in Bomdila. In Pasighat and Seppa 1950 ha and 990 ha
respectively of jhum land has been brought under integrated fruit nursery and
plantation. National project on orange farming has been taken up in Yupia, Ziro,
Aalo, Pasighat, Roing,Tezu, Khonsa and Chimpu. Besides, coconut development
project has been taken up on 19 ha of land in Changlang and Khonsa17.

In addition to above-mentioned schemes, the state has also
started Bamboo Mission18 to
bring jhum fallows under bamboo forests. Under Bamboo Mission, provisions have
been made for planting in non-forest areas, centralized nursery, Kisan nursery,
Mahila nursery, area (captive) plantation, improvement of existing stocks,
training of farmers and field functionaries, workshop, pest and disease
management, micro-irrigation in non-forest area, innovation intervention,
participation in trade fairs and conducting market survey.

As for the medicinal plants, the forest department has taken up
the responsibility to start medicinal plantations. For instance, at Tezu in
Lohit Forest Division, various species with medicinal value have been planted
through artificial regeneration. The most valued medicinal plants in the hilly
region are Taxus baccata, Coptis teeta (Mishmi teeta), and Andrographis
panniculata (chirata). People in the state have indigenous knowledge of
the use and value of the medicinal plants found locally. However, indiscriminate
grazing, haphazard harvesting and lack of adequate protection measures have
endangered many of them. Some of the rare species are already on the verge of
extinction.